HSK 4 · Story · 342 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/quietest-place

最安静的地方

The Quietest Place

Name: ________________ Date: ________

离lí面试miànshì还有háiyǒu五wǔ分钟fēnzhōng，楼上lóushàng开始kāishǐ钻zuān墙qiáng。

陈一抱bào着zhe电脑diànnǎo跑pǎo进jìn卧室wòshì。声音shēngyīn更gèng大dà了le。他tā又yòu跑pǎo进jìn厨房chúfáng、卫生间wèishēngjiān，最后zuìhòu站zhàn在zài门口ménkǒu，不bù知道zhīdào该gāi往wǎng哪儿nǎr去qù。

这时zhèshí，电梯diàntī到dào了le。里面lǐmiàn没méi人rén。他tā走zǒu进去jìnqu，电梯diàntī门mén关上guānshàng后hòu，世界shìjiè突然tūrán安静ānjìng了le。

他tā试shì了le试shì网络wǎngluò。能néng用yòng。

陈一拿出náchū纸zhǐ和hé笔bǐ，写下xiěxià：“请qǐng不要búyào说话shuōhuà，我wǒ在zài面试miànshì。”他tā把bǎ纸zhǐ举jǔ在zài电脑diànnǎo后面hòumiàn，接通jiētōng了le视频shìpín。

“你好níhǎo，请qǐng先xiān介绍jièshào一下yíxià自己zìjǐ。”

“我wǒ叫jiào陈一，我wǒ……”

“三sān楼lóu到dào了le。”

门mén开kāi了le。一yí位wèi阿姨āyí提tí着zhe一yí袋dài蔬菜shūcài走zǒu进来jìnlai，看见kànjiàn纸zhǐ，马上mǎshàng点头diǎntóu。她tā连lián按àn按钮ànniǔ都dōu小心xiǎoxīn了le起来qǐlai。

“我wǒ以前yǐqián主要zhǔyào做zuò……”

“五wǔ楼lóu到dào了le。”

这次zhècì进来jìnlái一yí个gè男人nánrén和hé一yì条tiáo狗gǒu。男人nánrén看kàn懂dǒng了le，狗gǒu没méi看kàn懂dǒng。

“汪wāng！”

面试官miànshìguān停tíng下来xiàlai：“你nǐ那边nàbiān方便fāngbiàn吗ma？”

陈一看kàn着zhe屏幕píngmù，又yòu看kàn了le一眼yìyǎn正zhèng忙着mángzhe拉lā住zhù狗gǒu的de男人nánrén，终于zhōngyú说shuō：“不太bútài方便fāngbiàn。我wǒ找zhǎo了le一个yígè安静ānjìng的de地方dìfang，但dàn它tā一直yìzhí在zài上下shàngxià移动yídòng。”

面试官miànshìguān笑xiào了le：“那nà我们wǒmen十shí分钟fēnzhōng后hòu再zài聊liáo？”

陈一在zài一楼yìlóu出chū了le电梯diàntī。保安bǎo’ān看见kànjiàn他tā手里shǒuli的de纸zhǐ，伸手shēnshǒu指向zhǐxiàng旁边pángbiān的de小xiǎo办公室bàngōngshì：“来lái这儿zhèr吧ba。我wǒ正好zhènghǎo要yào出去chūqù。”

十shí分钟fēnzhōng后hòu，视频shìpín又yòu接通jiētōng了le。

“这次zhècì可以kéyǐ了le，”陈一坐zuò下来xiàlai，“这里zhèlǐ不会búhuì到dào三sān楼lóu。”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
声音	shēngyīn	sound; voice
卫生间	wèishēngjiān	bathroom; restroom
最后	zuìhòu	finally; in the end; last; final
该	gāi	that; the said (as in 该公司)
电梯	diàntī	elevator; lift
世界	shìjiè	world
突然	tūrán	suddenly; abruptly; sudden; unexpected
安静	ānjìng	quiet; peaceful; calm
试	shì	to try; to test
用	yòng	to use; use; usefulness
纸	zhǐ	paper
先	xiān	first; in advance

English (for the teacher)

Five minutes before the interview, someone upstairs started drilling into the wall.

Chen Yi ran into the bedroom with his computer in his arms. The noise got louder. He ran into the kitchen, then the bathroom, and finally stood in the doorway, unsure where to go.

Just then, the lift arrived. There was nobody inside. He went in, and once the lift doors closed, the world suddenly became quiet.

He tested the internet connection. It worked.

Chen Yi took out paper and a pen and wrote, ‘Please don’t speak. I’m in an interview.’ He held the paper up behind his computer and connected to the video call.

‘Hello. Please introduce yourself first.’

‘My name is Chen Yi, and I…’

‘Third floor.’

The doors opened. A woman carrying a bag of vegetables came in, saw the paper and immediately nodded. She even became careful when pressing the buttons.

‘My previous work was mainly…’

‘Fifth floor.’

This time, a man and a dog came in. The man understood. The dog didn’t.

‘Woof!’

The interviewer paused. ‘Is now a good time for you?’

Chen Yi looked at the screen, then at the man struggling to hold the dog back, and finally said, ‘Not really. I found a quiet place, but it keeps moving up and down.’

The interviewer laughed. ‘Shall we talk again in ten minutes, then?’

Chen Yi got out of the lift on the ground floor. A security guard saw the paper in his hand and pointed towards a small office nearby. ‘Come in here. I’m just about to go out.’

Ten minutes later, the video call connected again.

‘It’s all right this time,’ Chen Yi said as he sat down. ‘This place won’t arrive at the third floor.’